


What's It Gonna Take

by littleboxesofstars



Category: IT (2017)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Explicit Language, Getting Together, Kissing, M/M, smitten richie is smitten
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2019-02-16 04:24:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13046430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littleboxesofstars/pseuds/littleboxesofstars
Summary: Eddie is curious about kissing, and Richie is damn near about to pass out.





	What's It Gonna Take

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted an excuse to practice kiss scenes and I love reddie, so here this is! also posted to my tumblr @trash-the-tozier

It was one of those rare Saturdays where all of the Losers were busy. Bill was babysitting Georgie, Stan had some religious fundraiser that his parents had roped him into helping with, Mike had trombone lessons, and Ben and Beverly were on a date to the movies that was probably super sweet and mushy and disgusting. That left Eddie and Richie, Richie popping his head in Eddie’s window and asking if he wanted to hang out. They were sitting by the quarry now, their legs dangling over the edge, talking about nothing and throwing rocks and occassionally kicking each other’s feet. 

Eddie’s hair had gotten a bit lighter over the summer, his skin a bit tanner, a few more freckles dotting his face (none of which were cancer; his mother took him in to get them screened), his lips slightly chapped and eyebrows furrowing as he looked down into the water. The two of them had fallen silent after an inconsequential argument about breakfast cereals, and now Richie was just sitting there, staring at him. Goddamnit. Eddie glanced over, and he looked away.

“Hey, Richie?”

“Yeah?” 

“Have you ever kissed anyone?” 

The question nearly gave him whiplash. His head turned so quickly his glasses nearly flew off, a bubble of butterflies bursting inside his chest. Eddie frowned at him, looking self-conscious for having asked. 

“What is wrong with you? Close your mouth.”

Richie’s jaw shut automatically, then he remembered he had a question to answer. A question about kissing. From Eddie.

“I…” He supposed getting drunk at parties counted, right? “Yeah. I have.”

“Oh?” A pause. “What’s it like?”

Richie wasn’t sure how to answer that. Nothing he’d done with other people had ever been serious. He’d kissed both girls and guys, though both teams denied it once they’d sobered up; girls didn’t want to say they’d made out with The Trashmouth, and guys didn’t want to be gay. 

“Fun, I guess.”

“Fun?” 

“Yeah.” God, this shouldn’t be making him blush. He joked about sex on a near hourly basis; it was wrong for mentioning for something as simple as fooling around to be turning him into a blushing fucking schoolgirl. “Being touched like that. It feels good.” 

Eddie went quiet, picking up another pebble and throwing it down into the water. The rock was too small to see the ripple from up where they were. He seemed ready to change the subject, but Richie wasn’t letting this conversation go so easily.

“Why? What's up?” 

“Just thinking about it.” Eddie said. “I’m sixteen, and I haven’t been kissed yet. I thought I might want to try it.” 

Richie’s mouth went dry. Eddie was sitting there next to him, thinking about kissing someone. Fuck. He wanted to just splay his body across Eddie’s lap and offer himself up, but that seemed a bit desperate, even for him. And Richie did not at all put Eddie past shoving him into the quarry, so there was that very real danger to worry about.

“I’m sure it would be easy to find out.” He said instead. “Since you’re such a catch. Everyone knows Greta thinks you’re cute.” 

Eddie made a bit of a face, and Richie would have been lying if he said that reaction didn’t make him at least a little happy. Eddie had had the opportunity to kiss girls before. Now that they were in high school Richie wasn’t the only one that could tell Eddie was cute, and he’d been asked out a couple of times. He either declined the invitations or only dated for a couple weeks, the habits of a hypochondriac getting in the way. 

“Human bodies are just so gross.” He’d said. “Holding hands alone shares so many germs, and spit… I thought about her kissing me and I think I actually broke out in hives.”

Eddie’s reluctance to play tonsil tennis should have bummed Richie out, but if he was being completely honest it was nice to know that Eddie wasn’t sucking face with anyone else. The gross comment didn’t get to him either; Eddie called him gross on a daily basis, so it wasn’t anything knew. In the past, if Richie asked Eddie if he ever wanted to kiss anybody, the answer had been a resounding “maybe”. This change of heart was throwing him for a complete loop. 

“I’ve been trying other things lately, that’s all.” Eddie continued, and Richie nodded the best he could manage. Sure, Eddie's medications had been fake, but Eddie hadn't found out that some of his allergies were bullshit too until he'd accidentally eaten some shellfish in a pasta dish and not died. He'd recently been testing the waters to see what else he wasn't allergic to, trying not to let the outside world daunt and disgust him so much. He could now pet both Ben’s cat and Mike’s dog without sneezing, touch latex, and eat bananas, all things he’d thought were impossible before. Richie had actually witnessed Eddie eat something off the floor a couple of days ago, and now fully expected Hell to freeze over at any moment.

(Eddie was genuinely allergic to grass though, as he found out after rolling down a hill and popping up covered in itchy welts. Richie, who had rolled down right after him, found that he was actually allergic to grass too.) 

“I don’t want to kiss anyone I don’t like, or that I’m not dating, or, or whatever, but…” Eddie was getting a bit flustered. “I don’t know, I thought I might want to.”

God. Richie was gripping tightly to the rock below him in an attempt not to fall face first into the water, hopelessly in love and desperate to just say  _ me, kiss me, use me, I don’t care.  _ But he couldn’t find his tongue, and Eddie was getting to his feet. Richie opened his mouth. 

“Me.”

Eddie froze. The word hung between them for an insufferably long moment, the butterfly wings beating bruises on the insides of Richie’s ribs. 

“What?” Eddie finally asked. 

“I… I mean…” Richie realized that this was his chance to back out. To play it off. But he didn’t want to. “I could kiss you, if you want.” 

Eddie was staring him full in the face, his breathing a little faster than usual, and Richie found himself beginning to babble instead, always desperate to alleviate Eddie of any discomfort. 

"I'm just saying! I'm not some stranger that you have to wait to fall in love with first, and I've got some experience. I've kissed Mike, Ben, and Stan before, so it wouldn't be weird. Though it was just because we were playing spin the bottle. We can get a bottle if that would make you feel better.” 

Eddie was still staring at him. Richie wasn't sure that he'd even blinked, and he began to get worried. If he couldn't backpedal far enough on this, he didn't want to know what the consequences would be. 

“Just a quick peck, alright? No tongue. Scout's honor."

“You're a fucking idiot.” Eddie said softly, but with none of the anger or revulsion Richie had been expecting. 

“I'm just trying to help y--” 

Then Eddie crouched back down, took Richie's face in his hands, and pressed a kiss to his lips. 

The kiss was short and so, so sweet, Richie barely having time to do much of anything before Eddie pulled away again. 

“Richie?” 

Eddie's cheeks were red. His lips were pink, and his eyes were a warm brown, looking at him with slight concern, then amusement. 

“Well, it shut you up, at least.” Eddie remarked, and Richie felt himself sway slightly, towards the edge of the precipice. Thankfully Eddie noticed too, and caught him by the shoulder. “Alright, Trashmouth?” 

"You, uh..." Richie knew he was embarrassing himself but god, he couldn't help it. Eddie kissed him. Eddie had just kissed him. He tried his hardest to roundhouse-kick his brain back into action. "You caught me off guard there, Spaghetti Man."

“I can tell.”

They looked at each other a moment longer.

"You aren't having a big germ freakout.” Richie remarked. “I fully expected one."

"Oh, it's happening." Eddie assured him. "It's just all internal. But it wasn't as bad as I expected."

"Gee, thanks."

"Your mouth didn't taste like germs, that's all I'm saying."

Richie raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing ‘tastes like germs’, Eds."

"Georgie stuck his finger in my mouth when he was four. That tasted like germs."

"Alright then. Mental note to self: no licking Georgie."

"You have to remind yourself not to lick a ten-year-old child?" Eddie shook his head a bit, laughing again. “I guess I get it, though. Kissing. It was nice.”

He made to get up, but Richie stopped him.

“No. I am not letting your impression of your first kiss be 'not as bad as expected’ and 'didn’t taste like germs’.” 

“But you can't change it.”

“A do-over.” 

“Then it wouldn't be my first kiss.”

Richie decided to ignore that incredibly sound piece of logic. 

“I wasn't ready! I was in the middle of saying something stupid.”

“Aren't you always?” 

The teasing words were a breath of fresh air, a sign that despite whatever was happening now, their friendship wasn't ruined. It made Richie feel a bit bolder. 

“Come on, Eddie Spaghetti. I have a reputation.” 

Eddie simply sat, staring at him, and after a few moments Richie had to ask about it. 

“What are you doing?” 

“I thought I was waiting for you to kiss me.” 

“Oh, fuck.” There was a cacophony of curse words playing through Richie's head as his nerves flared up again. Simply hearing Eddie say that made Richie wonder if he'd died and fucking ascended before remembering that when he kicked the bucket, “up” probably wasn't the direction he was going. If it was a dream, he didn't want to wake up. “Okay.” 

Damn it all. Eddie was so pretty, sitting there and looking at him and giving Richie permission to kiss him. Richie planted one hand on the ground, using it to keep him balanced, reaching up with the other to cup Eddie's cheek. He leaned in slowly, fearing that if he moved any faster, he was in danger of combusting. Eddie's breathing was shallow, quick and warm against his lips. Richie nudged Eddie's nose with his own, closing his eyes, Eddie's lips tilting upwards to meet his. 

It was almost too much. Eddie's lips moved slowly, inexperience obvious in his hesitancy, and Richie found it painfully endearing. He tried to push a little further, to treat Eddie a little less delicately, surprised when Eddie met him with the same energy, Richie having to lean back slightly to accommodate him. 

Eddie tilted his chin back to take a quick breath, his lips still parted when he came back to the kiss. Richie curled his fingers around the nape of Eddie's neck, running his tongue across Eddie's lower lip, getting a soft, low moan in response that had heat coursing through every inch of his body. That was more than he could take, pulling back. 

It was dumb how long it took him to catch his breath and he stared at Eddie, who'd brought his fingers to his mouth, his cheeks flush with color, staring back at him.

_ Oh, I am so fucked. _

“Okay.” Eddie said softly. “That… Yeah. Was better.” 

“Yeah.” Richie wanted to kiss Eddie again. Richie wanted to kiss Eddie every damn day for the rest of his life. Somehow, some way, Eddie seemed to read his mind.

“Do you want to…?” Was all Eddie managed out, and it wasn’t the most coherent of questions, but Richie was too eager to care. He couldn’t even tell who moved first but Eddie was touching him this time, wrapping his arms around Richie’s neck. Richie broke the kiss rather quickly, wanting to move them away from the edge, and once he'd done so Eddie climbed fully into his lap, bringing their lips together again. Richie was completely taken aback, but then he remembered that this was the same ball of energy that had once jumped headlong into a creek to hurl rocks at bullies’ faces, and it made a little more sense. 

“How many times do I need to kiss you before you ask me out?” Eddie murmured against his lips, Richie half convinced he was just hearing things, drawing back to stare him. 

“I… What?” 

“Earlier, I said that I didn't want to kiss someone I didn't like. And I'm kissing you.” 

“Oh.” Oh.  _ Oh.  _ “That was way too subtle for me, Eds.” Nerves curled in Richie's chest. “Did… Did you know I liked you?” 

Eddie gave him a slightly apologetic look, letting his arms relax a little from their position around Richie's neck.

“Bev told me. Though your staring really isn't that subtle with your giant glasses on. I didn't say anything though, because I honestly wasn't sure about the whole kissing thing. I didn't think it would be fair to you if every time I kissed you I had to run off and sanitize my tongue, or something.”

“But… You’re okay?” Richie asked. The last thing he wanted was Eddie to be uncomfortable. Eddie nodded a little. 

“Maybe it's because it's you, and I trust you, but yeah. I think so. But if I ever do have a, you know, 'big germ freakout’, or whatever, please don't be mad. I'm working on it.” 

“I could never be mad at you, Eds!” Richie grinned, wrapping his arms around him. “You're the apple of my eye. The lighter to my cigarette. My…” Richie couldn't help his gasp of inspiration. “The sauce to my spaghetti.”

“How about your boyfriend, you idiot?” Eddie asked. The word was real and heavy, weighing in Richie's chest, Richie finding himself mouthing it quietly as he looked over Eddie, taking in the brazen, perfect person in his lap. The title seemed like a privilege he didn't deserve. 

“You're staring at me again.” Eddie told him.

“Can't help it.”

“Your face is really red, too.” 

“Can't help that either.” 

“So should I take that as a yes?” Eddie asked, smiling a little. Richie couldn't find his voice, pulling Eddie close instead and kissing him again, his heart soaring when he felt Eddie's own lips turn up into a smile.  _ Yes. _


End file.
